Chapter 88 The Choice

Chapter 88 The Choice
Nobody moved. The silence that followed Taryn's decision seemed to ripple across the entire courtyard, spreading outward beneath the silver tree and into the ancient city beyond. Even the roots beneath the stone appeared brighter now, their silver glow pulsing steadily as though the city itself were paying attention. Taryn stood comfortably beside Rowan, arms folded across her chest, looking entirely unbothered by the tension she had just created. The Council members behind her looked considerably less relaxed. One of them appeared openly annoyed, another looked concerned. A third looked as though she had expected this outcome all along. The older man standing at their center merely sighed. For some reason, Rowan hated that most of all. The expression made it seem as though this conversation had already happened a hundred times before. As though he had spent centuries carrying the same argument and simply expected everyone else to eventually arrive at the same conclusion. His gaze settled on Rowan.

"You remember."

The statement wasn't a question. Rowan stared at him. The memory returned immediately. The balcony overlooking the city, the fear in her mother's eyes, the quiet resignation in his, and the moment everything began to unravel.

"You were there."

The words came out sharper than she intended. The older man's jaw tightened.

"Yes."

No attempt to soften the truth, just a simple acknowledgment. The honesty should have helped. Instead it made Rowan angrier. For months she had chased answers. She had nearly died searching for fragments of a story everyone else already knew. And now the man standing in front of her acted as though admitting it should somehow be enough. Beside her, Corvin shifted slightly, just enough for his shoulder to brush hers. The small gesture grounded her instantly. A reminder that she wasn't standing here alone. The Council leader noticed. His eyes flickered briefly toward Corvin before returning to Rowan.

"My name is Aldric."

Jess immediately raised her hand.

"No."

Aldric blinked. The reaction clearly caught him off guard.

"No?"

"You don't get to introduce yourself like we're all attending a business luncheon."

A confused silence followed. Jess pointed dramatically.

"You helped ruin her life. You don't get a polite introduction."

Malric lowered his head, unsuccessfully hiding a laugh. Even Taryn's mouth twitched.

For the first time, Aldric looked genuinely uncertain how to respond.

"I... suppose that's fair."

"Thank you."

Jess folded her arms, satisfied. The tension eased slightly. Aldric turned back to Rowan.

"The city has shown you pieces of the truth."

The frustration that had been building inside her finally surfaced.

"Everyone keeps saying that."

The roots beneath the courtyard brightened, silver light spread through the cracks in the stone. The city was listening. Rowan barely noticed.

"Pieces," she repeated. "You all talk about pieces like that's supposed to be comforting."

Her voice remained calm.

"I watched my mother say goodbye to me."

The silver roots pulsed brighter.

"I watched her realize she'd been betrayed."

The air around them seemed to tighten.

"And I watched people make decisions about her life without ever asking what she wanted."

Silence settled over the courtyard. Aldric didn't interrupt. The expression on his face shifted gradually from caution to something far more uncomfortable. Regret. The sight surprised Rowan. She had expected excuses, justifications, and anger. Regret was harder to hate. Fenrir stepped forward before the silence could stretch any further. The ancient werewolf moved with deliberate calm, though the tension radiating from him was impossible to miss.

"You should tell her everything."

Aldric glanced toward him.

"Everything?"

The word carried weight. Fenrir's golden eyes hardened.

"If you've finally come here, then yes."

The Council leader looked away. For a brief moment, Rowan saw something crack in his composure. Shame. The realization surprised her. Aldric took a slow breath before speaking.

"The creature beneath the city was never the only problem."

The courtyard grew quiet. Even Jess stopped fidgeting.

"The prison holding it was failing. Every projection we had suggested the same outcome."

His gaze moved across the group.

"If the creature reached the City's Heart, everything connected to it would die."

The roots beneath the courtyard pulsed softly. A heartbeat beneath stone. The realization settled heavily.

"The city is alive," Rowan said quietly.

Aldric nodded.

"More alive than most people realize."

Fenrir didn't disagree. Neither did Elias. That alone was enough confirmation. Aldric continued.

"The creature wanted access to that power."

"The City's Heart," Corvin said.

Aldric nodded again.

"Your family was connected to it."

The words landed harder than Rowan expected. An entire bloodline. Aldric's voice lowered.

"The connection ran deeper than anyone had ever seen before."

Something cold settled in Rowan's stomach. Because she already knew where this was going. She could see it on Fenrir's face. The memory of the balcony returned.

"The Council voted," Rowan said quietly.

Nobody answered immediately. Aldric finally nodded.

"Yes."

The single word echoed through the courtyard.

"They believed that if your bloodline was severed from the city, the creature would lose its path to the Heart."

Rowan stared at him. The words made sense and that was the worst part. The logic wasn't evil, it was practical, which somehow made it harder to dismiss. Her mother had known that too. She suddenly understood the look on Elara's face in the memory. Not shock but disappointment, because the people making the decision weren't monsters. They were people who had convinced themselves there was no other choice, and sometimes those were the most dangerous people of all.

"The Council voted to sacrifice her."

The statement came from Taryn. The words landed like a hammer.

Aldric closed his eyes. Just for a moment. When he opened them again, the regret was impossible to hide.

"Yes."

The answer echoed through the courtyard, and somewhere deep beneath the city, the creature roared. This time, it sounded almost pleased. As though it had been waiting centuries for the truth to finally be spoken aloud.